February 1, 2013 Friday Night SmackDown
The February 1, 2013 Edition of Smackdown is a Professional wrestling television show of the WWE's Smackdown brand, which took place on January 29, 2013 at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, California. Episode Summary Swagger returned; Booker T made a huge announcement regarding the future of the World Heavyweight Title and the Elimination Chamber As SmackDown began, an agitated Alberto Del Rio was seen pacing in the parking lot, weapon in hand, presumable awaiting for the arrival of The World’s Largest Athlete and payback for the actions against him and Ricardo Rodriguez on Raw. Inside, General Manager Booker T officially opened SmackDown, surrounded by select group of former World Heavyweight Champions. He declared that their status made them all possible entries in the upcoming No. 1 Contender’s Elimination Chamber Match — at the pay-per-view of the same name — to determine who would face Alberto Del Rio for the World Title at WrestleMania. Returning after a long absence, Jack Swagger interrupted the head of the blue brand. Revealing that he had been living as a “real American” in his absence from WWE, Swagger said that he was disappointed with the direction WWE had been heading before insisting that — since he was also a former World Heavyweight Champion — he should also be considered for the Elimination Chamber. In contrast, Dolph Ziggler stated that since he was already Mr. Money in the Bank, he would decline the invitation to be a candidate for one of the most brutal matches in WWE history. Nevertheless, Booker informed The Showoff that he would compete in a main event match against World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio. The rest of the former World Heavyweight Champions would also be in action, with the goal of impressing both the GM and Senior Advisor Theodore Long. If they did, they might be put into the Elimination Chamber Match in 16 days with an opportunity to face Del Rio on The Grandest Stage of Them All on the line. The first match would be WWE Tag Team Champions Team Hell No vs. Sin Cara (who had yet to become World Champion and would presumably not be considered) and San Diego’s own, the returning Rey Mysterio! The Great Khali vs Jinder Mahal On Raw Roulette four days earlier, 3MB interrupted The Great Khali’s karaoke showdown against Zack Ryder, causing The Punjabi Playboy and Long Island Iced-Z to clean house. On SmackDown, Khali would once again make beautiful music in his match against Jinder Mahal. After taking down Drew McIntyre with a massive chop — as he was bothering Natalya on the apron — the gigantic former World Champion dropped Mahal with the Punjabi Plunge for the victory. Meanwhile, Hornswoggle, who lost a pursuing Health Slater under the ring, joined his friends in time for a post-match dance celebration. Alberto Del Rio vs Dolph Ziggler The high-intense, back-and-forth match between Del Rio and Ziggler was completely unpredictable, filled with numerous near-falls and explosive action that kept the WWE Universe on the edge of its collective seat. That was until the resilient World Champion countered Ziggler’s Zig Zag in the final moments, finally overcoming The Showoff with the Cross Armbreaker. But the Mexican titleholder had little time to celebrate. Moments after the bell, Big Show appeared on the TitanTron, holding the injured Rodriguez at his side. In response to Del Rio’s attack earlier in the evening, the irate giant kept the World Heavyweight Champion at bay as he tormented — and eventually hit the KO Punch on — the trapped ring announcer. Results * Singles Match: The Great Khali (w/ Hornswoggle & Natalya) defeated Jinder Mahal (w/ Heath Slater & Drew McIntyre) * Singles Match: Alberto Del Rio defeated Dolph Ziggler (w/ AJ Lee & Big E. Langston) Other on-screen talent * Ring announcer: Lilian Garcia Image Gallery SD 702 Photo 004.jpg SD_702_Photo_011.jpg SD_702_Photo_031.jpg SD_702_Photo_032.jpg SD_702_Photo_037.jpg SD_702_Photo_042.jpg SD_702_Photo_043.jpg Media Category:2013 television episodes Category:SmackDown episodes Category:Episodes featuring Lilian Garcia Category:Natalya Category:AJ Lee Category:WWE television episodes